Headache - drink a pill. Great tip for those she helps! And if not? And the attacks are repeated, overtaking at the most inopportune moment. How to beat a migraine?
WITH headache almost everyone is familiar. There are 130 (!) Of its varieties. Migraine only one of them, but perhaps the most mysterious. You will not see her either on the tomograph or on the encephalogram. Nevertheless, to understand the nature of the headache of a particular person is extremely important. Because many painkillers in the right dose help with migraines, but there are those that are effective only for migraines and do not save at all, if the head hurts for other reasons, they can even provoke new attacks - the so-called abuse pain from drug abuse. Sometimes migraine starts with distortion of the field of view (Alice's syndrome) This was known to Lewis Carroll, which partly allowed him to create an immortal and intricate plot.
Causes
The true cause of migraine has not been established. It is believed that attacks provokes red wine. Someone is sure that the problem is not the fault, but the preservatives, which must be added to it. Blame cheese, chocolate, citrus fruits. But even this has not been unequivocally proven: they can provoke, or they may not provoke. Tea, coffee and cola, which contain caffeine, are also on the defendants list.
Therefore, if they are minimized, the number of seizures can be reduced.Hormonal changes (in some seizures occur precisely against the background of menstruation). However, scientists at Leiden University in any case tend to blame the genetic predisposition. According to studies conducted in different countries, from 3% to 16% of the total population suffer from migraine. Moreover, the ratio of men and women is 1: 3.
In women, the peak of the disease occurs at 40 years, in men - at 35, but it can happen at any age. Moreover, if before doctors assured that after 40 migraines gradually disappear, now no one stutters about this. Perhaps she became younger along with modern women.
Treatment
According to scientists, as much as 2 years people lose in migraine attacks. Therefore, in order not to sacrifice these years, you need to consult a neurologist. There are specialists in chronic pain - algologists. And even the Headache Clinic. It’s better to prepare for the first visit: bring a headache diary with you, which will help the doctor to get a complete picture, calculate the frequency of attacks, and find the reasons. It is worth recording everything that happened 24 hours before the attack: what they ate, drank, what the weather was like, they were nervous or tired. The doctor may recommend an additional examination and choose a medicine.
BATTLES WITH PAIN
■ It is necessary to identify with the doctor what exactly provokes the attack (loud noise, bright light, strong odors, lack or excess of sleep), and try to avoid this.
■ A number of drugs can stop an attack at its very beginning (it is important to have time to take the medicine before severe pain develops).But you cannot appoint them to yourself: the choice depends on many factors, which the doctor will help to understand.
■ Do not treat migraines. There is a risk of migraine stroke.
5 FACTS
■ Migraine from the French word migraine - hemicrania, which literally means "pain in half the head." Paradoxically, the brain itself is devoid of sensitivity; only vessels or meninges, in which there are pain receptors, can hurt.
■ Researchers at the Berlin Neurological Clinic have concluded that muscle tone is to blame. People cannot relax and are constantly in tension. That’s why pain.
■ It is for the above reason that botulinum toxin (commonly known as botox), used to get rid of wrinkles in cosmetology, effectively relieves headaches. It relaxes muscles, blocks their ability to contract for several months. So there will be no painful cramps. And along with wrinkles. Injections are done in the forehead and interbrow area.
■ Doctors from Israel claim that patients with migraine pain are less likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease. Most of those who suffer from migraines have low blood pressure. Therefore, a heart attack does not happen, and the head hurts due to a lack of oxygen (weak blood flow through the vessels).
■ Scientists have found that people with migraines are more likely to be depressed than others. And they proved that after taking antidepressants, which include serotonin, headaches often go away.
The article was published based on the materials of the magazine "Good advice" 8/2013
Text: Svetlana Kolmykova. Photo: Legion-Media jebediah / Fotolia.com
Material prepared by Julia Dekanova
